What ATAR do you need for law in Victoria?
Direct-entry JD, undergraduate law, juris doctor pathways. Cutoffs at Melbourne, Monash, La Trobe, Deakin, ACU — plus what to study in VCE if you're aiming there.
Law is the other "high-cutoff" course in Victoria, although the structure differs from medicine. Here's how it actually works.
Direct-entry undergraduate law
Most direct-entry law degrees in Victoria are five-year combined degrees (Law + Arts, Law + Commerce, etc.). The ATAR cutoffs for the Law-only component:
| Uni | Course | ATAR |
|---|---|---|
| Monash | Bachelor of Laws (Honours) | 96+ |
| Melbourne | (Postgrad only — see JD below) | — |
| Deakin | Bachelor of Laws | 89–93 |
| La Trobe | Bachelor of Laws (Honours) | 85–90 |
| ACU | Bachelor of Laws | 80–85 |
Combined degrees (Law + something else) at the same uni typically have a slightly higher cutoff, depending on the partner discipline.
Melbourne JD pathway
The University of Melbourne switched to a "Melbourne Model" graduate-entry law degree (the JD) years ago. It's not a direct-entry option from Year 12.
The standard pathway:
- Strong undergraduate degree (Arts, Commerce, Science) at Melbourne — ATAR ~85+.
- Three years of undergrad, decent GPA, LSAT score.
- JD at Melbourne (or Monash, ANU, UNSW).
Cutoffs for the Melbourne undergrad degrees: Arts at ~85, Commerce at ~95, Science at ~85–90. The JD entry is competitive but achievable for any strong undergraduate.
Prereqs
Law has very few academic prereqs. English (any Unit 3/4) is universal. Beyond that, most law programs have no specific subject requirements.
This means you can pick your VCE line-up entirely on what gets you the highest aggregate. No need to do Maths or sciences if you're confident in humanities.
A realistic VCE line-up for law
Five-subject load aimed at the Monash 96 cutoff:
- English raw 38 → scaled 37
- Literature raw 39 → scaled 41 (replaces English in primary four)
- Methods raw 35 → scaled 41
- Legal Studies raw 42 → scaled 41
- History Revolutions raw 38 → scaled 38
Top-4 (with Lit replacing English): 41 + 41 + 41 + 38 = 161. 10% × 37 (English) = 3.7. Aggregate ~164.7 → ATAR ~94.
For the Monash 96 cutoff, you'd want to push two of those raw scores up by 2-3 points. Or add a 6th subject scaled at 35+.
Should you do Legal Studies?
Strange as it sounds: not necessarily. Legal Studies isn't a prereq for any law degree in Victoria, and its scaling is roughly neutral (raw 30 → 28).
If you genuinely enjoy it, take it. If you're picking it because "it's about law", you'd often score better in a subject you actually like.
The students who do best in law school come from English, Literature, History, Philosophy, and even Maths backgrounds. The reading and analytical skills matter more than prior content knowledge.
Bonus points
Law programs generally honour:
- SEAS — for disadvantage. 4–10 points.
- Combined-degree bonuses at some unis.
- Regional access at La Trobe and ACU.
Bonus points apply at the uni's selection step.
What to do this term
If you're in Year 11 aiming at law:
- Pick subjects you'll genuinely score well in. There are no specific prereqs.
- Don't take Legal Studies just because it sounds law-adjacent.
- Focus on raw study scores in your top four subjects. Aggregate is everything for law admission.
Plug your line-up into the ATAR Calculator and run the numbers. For broader strategy, read picking your VCE subjects.
Keep reading
How VTAC turns your VCE study scores into an ATAR. The primary-four rule, the 10% increments, and the aggregate-to-ATAR table — without the jargon.
How VTAC turns your VCE study scores into an ATAR. The primary-four rule, the 10% increments, and the aggregate-to-ATAR table — without the jargon.
Direct-entry MBBS, undergraduate biomed, graduate medicine — every Victorian pathway broken down by ATAR cutoff, prereqs, and what changes in 2026.
Engineering ATAR cutoffs at Melbourne, Monash, RMIT, Swinburne, Deakin, and La Trobe — plus the prereqs, the bonus point schemes, and the niche entry pathways.
The StudyScore app — your VCE in your pocket.
Log every SAC. Predict your ATAR as marks come in. Plan revision around your weakest components. Free, no ads, made by Victorian students.
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